Now THAT'S a Jukebox!

Written by Eric Olsen
Published November 25, 2003

If these guys can get access to "millions" of songs, why is it that none of the authorized digital music services in the U.S. have been able to do better than a few-hundred -thousand? It sounds like the pubs are the place to be, luv:

    Internet terminals offering instant access to more than two million songs are to be installed in pubs across the country as part of a revolutionary plan to stop jukeboxes becoming obsolete.
    Each year pubs scrap more than 1,000 jukeboxes as they become less popular with customers.

    ....Inspired Broadcast Networks, the digital division of quiz machine and gambling giant Leisure Link, is teaming up with Entertainment UK, the largest music distributor in Europe, in an effort to turn the tide.

    They plan to install thousands of broadband-enabled jukeboxes that can be updated from a central server and will offer customers millions of tracks, which can be recent releases or back catalogue numbers.

    The hi-tech devices will also enable pub goers to instantly order the CD or ring tone of the track they are listening to and, by paying an extra 50p, they can move their chosen song to the front of the queue.

    Entertainment Music has also clinched a deal with the major record labels to allow new releases to be featured on the jukeboxes before they are available in the shops. [Guardian]

Supercool - the celestial jukebox (one version of it, anyway) has arrived.

Career media professional Eric Olsen is honored to be the founder and publisher of Blogcritics.org, which, quite frankly, rules - as do his wife and four children.
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Now THAT'S a Jukebox!
Published: November 25, 2003
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Section: Sci/Tech
Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Internet, Music: News
Writer: Eric Olsen
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Comments

#1 — November 25, 2003 @ 17:31PM — Tim Moore

They've got one of these at my local hang-out. A fantastic way to waste lots of money :-)

#2 — November 25, 2003 @ 17:56PM — Eric Olsen

Thanks Tim, how much does it cost per song?

#3 — November 25, 2003 @ 18:24PM — TDavid [URL]

Millions of songs? Wow! That's more than any online service. I am a big fan of jukeboxes and will throw in a couple bucks whenever I see one, unless the choices are pretty much only country music.

#4 — November 26, 2003 @ 06:27AM — jadester

indeed, they are already here. I know of at least one local pub whose jukebox is connected. Damn good idea IMO (why didn't i think of it first? doh!)

#5 — November 26, 2003 @ 12:31PM — Eric Olsen

J, how much does it cost to play a song?

#6 — November 26, 2003 @ 13:12PM — Craig Lyndall [URL]

It costs regular amounts to play songs, usually $5 for 15 songs or something like that, but they charge you two credits if the jukebox has to download a song from the internet. I have also noticed that the quality of tracks that were downloaded (streamed instantly?) are lower in quality and it is noticeable from song to song. I don't know if the one at my local bar is typical of the whole system.

#7 — November 26, 2003 @ 13:19PM — Eric Olsen

is this the same as the UK system?

#8 — November 26, 2003 @ 17:42PM — gerrard [URL]

Man, my local bar has been sucking away a lot of my free money with a jukebox like this. It's actually changed my drinking habits...

#9 — November 26, 2003 @ 18:24PM — Eric Olsen

thanks all! I have to get out more

#10 — November 26, 2003 @ 19:25PM — Natalie Davis [URL]

If I could smoke there, I would be there. Gosh, I love jukeboxes.

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